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Interactive session with Shri. X (name disclosed to protect privacy), Cancer survivor and Consultant & Motivational speaker
Shri. X is a prostate cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2014, which had affected one of his kidneys and lungs. He travelled from the US to Pune, India and immediately was wheeled into the operation theatre to remove the tumor. Due to a complication in the surgery, doctors did not start with Chemotherapy right away and decided to wait for a month before beginning any treatment. Post surgery, doctors gave him a deadline of only 3 months. During this time he decided to go to the US to be with his children. He was in the US for 5 months, reading a lot about this “Cancer” as a disorder (he prefers to call it that) and about mind management. On returning to India, he decided to go to Prashanti Kutiram, SVYASA campus, Bangalore, a holistic therapeutic centre where yoga, ayurveda and naturopathy is beautifully integrated. He was not keen for chemotherapy and was keen to learn more about yogic and lifestyle management of this disorder and also was curious to apply mind management. He had earlier observed the positive changes in his wife who had undergone a holistic treatment in this centre.
Sharing some of the key takeaway points of the interactive session with him which was held on July 16, 2022 at Yogabharati platform :-
- Cancer is a disorder rather than a disease. If it is a disorder, then it has come due to sensitivity, emotional suppression along with lack of exercise, diet, abrupt lifestyle habits etc. He emphasized that we have the capacity within to change and correct the disorder.
- He had a lot of questions in his Mind - Why and how the holistic practices would help him overcome this disorder and improve health.
- When his wife was undergoing treatment for Ovarian cancer before his own cancer detection, he would hardly get enough sleep, a maximum of 3 to 4 hours daily. Doctors had given 1 month time for his wife and they decided to come to Prashanti Kutiram. She could feel the difference after attending all the Yoga sessions and observed that with good sleep patterns, her cell growth stopped. She was advised to take a specific blood test (cpa) and the Doctors could not believe the results. She lived for 9 months after that.
- During his stay at Prashanti Kutiram, he understood the importance of Rest as an important tool to heal oneself. He ensured that throughout his stay he got good sleep and used to wake up feeling fresh and energetic. Initially at Prashanti he would not practice but sit quietly in his room. Later as he started attending the sessions he could sleep well which did make a difference in his health.
- Though he was not regular in attending all the sessions in the centre, he used to practise the different yogic techniques taught and was constantly being aware of the changes in his mind and Body.
- He shared that earlier he had a poor emotional quotient. As a caregiver for his wife, he had gone through many emotional upsurges. Emotional suppression is a slow poison, which releases chemicals in the body, which over a period of time causes the cells to turn cancerous. He realized that all of us have cancer cells, but only a few end up testing positive for cancer. One thing again that made him strong was that he was able to let go of the fear. Birth and death are beyond our control, so why don’t WE make the best use of the time given to us and live life to the fullest.
- He also realized the importance of calming the mind and Yoga being a powerful tool for this.
- Ego clashes too lead to stress, lack of sleep. So, how do we manage our ego? He shared a beautiful quote “In the war of Ego, it is the loser who is the real winner”.
- Anger, ego, and other emotions are all related to the mind, so can we pause, take a step back and calm the mind. The spontaneous reaction that we have initially would just melt and we can respond better.
- He gave a valuable suggestion to the caregivers and family members of Cancer patients: “Do not sympathize. They don't need your sympathy “.
- Causes of cancer can also be a trauma like an accident, death of a close family member, divorce, childhood assaults, etc. Then what can we do when we go through such experiences? "Be in the flow of life."
- Interestingly, our five sense organs are all above the shoulder and they are the reasons for the disorders of the lower portion of the body. Organs like heart, lungs, kidney, Liver, etc., work selflessly but the extroverted sense organs do give rise to anger, frustration, ego, jealousy, greed and so much more and they constantly seek validation. This slowly creeps into the organ systems resulting in disorders. So when you master the mind and harness the sense organs, these emotional whirlpools calm down and that helps the body to relax and allows each and every cell to work efficiently.
- He gave one more valuable suggestion - Cook and eat in a peaceful manner and also accept whatever is on the plate in a happy state of mind. If tempted to eat, just think for a while if the food that I am tempted to eat is nutritious for my body.
- After 6 month of stay at Prashanti Kutiram campus, his cancer regressed and the parameters were normal. The tumor size was reduced to about 2 inch.
- MIND is the factor for all the diseases that we encounter in our body. If Mind is taken care of well then the body will be perfectly fine.
It has been 8 yrs since he had Prostate Cancer (2014) and the tumor of size 2 cm is still there in his body, but that does not affect him. He is at present a counselor for cancer survivors, Autoimmune disorders and Lifestyle disorders. He lives in Pune and travels every month to Prashanti Kutiram, Svyasa, Bengaluru for a week and counsels cancer patients free of charge.
Books suggested by him:
- Anti Cancer by Dr. David Servan Schreiber
- Miracles of the mind by Russel Targ. These were the 2 books he mentioned which gave him the courage to deal with the disorder.
Disclaimer: I am emphasizing that Mind management, Yoga, proper lifestyle, emotional management are powerful tools for disorders. So start the journey in using these tools right now! Please also follow the advice of the medical doctor too.
Compiled by,
Vijaya Hariharan, Vidya Ramani and Prabha Krishna
July 2022